Humphrey Takes Stock
by such fun
Summary: Humphrey has to make a decision.
1. Chapter 1

Humphrey Takes Stock

It was 3am and Humphrey sat alone on the veranda, listening to the waves gently, relentlessly, lapping the shore. So much had happened, yet he wanted so much more; needed so much more.

He had come a long way since he first arrived in Saint Marie, only a few short months ago. He'd arrived there certain that Sally, his beautiful, witty, adored wife would soon be by his side; starting their new life together. But the rug had been pulled from under him when he'd got her message.

Throwing himself into his work, Humphrey had tried hard to make it on his own, leaning on his team for support; the team who he'd got to know so well. The team? Or just Camille? And then suddenly, out of the blue, Sally had been standing there, just as if nothing had happened.

When he'd agreed to meet her that first evening, Humphrey was hardly able to understand what he was feeling. He listened to Sally, heard what she had to say, but it was too much to digest. Unaware that Camille was anxiously watching him, Humphrey had rushed away, needing to be alone, to think things through.

All the next day, Humphrey was pre-occupied with thoughts of what might have been, and what might still be, with Sally, his wife, the woman he'd loved so very, very much. Yes, loved. In the past. He knew what he had to do.


	2. Chapter 2

That night Humphrey told Sally how he felt, how he'd tried to save their marriage, reminding her that their break up was her decision. He explained that he couldn't go back; that this wasn't fixable. Sally had rushed away from him in tears, but Humphrey couldn't go after her. And suddenly, Camille was there, as she always was. Humphrey knew he'd been right not to get back together with Sally; their marriage was over, he had moved on.

Camille and Humphrey drank rather too much rum punch that night and the next day Camille was suffering for it. But Humphrey, with his drive to solve the murder, and his renewed zest for life, was raring to go. Camille had always been in awe of Humphrey's brilliant mind for working out impossible cases and delivering justice; and Humphrey certainly didn't disappoint her today. The murderer was caught and the team headed down to Catherine's for a well deserved celebration.

Humphrey wasn't sure what made him do it, he wasn't one to share his feelings; he hadn't been brought up that way. But while watching Camille dancing with Catherine and Dwayne, he confided something in Fidel that he'd only just admitted to himself; he loved Camille. Fidel urged him to tell Camille but Humphrey refused, swearing Fidel to secrecy. Fidel agreed, after all, Humphrey was the boss.

Now, at 3am, Humphrey was in a reflective mood; taking stock of things in his head. Admitting his feelings for Camille had been a huge step for him, but why was he unwilling to take things further? It wasn't because he was unsure of how he felt; looking back, he realised he'd fallen for Camille from day one. So what was it? Humphrey realised that breaking up with Sally had hurt him more than he had previously thought; that his confidence had taken a severe bruising. He would need time to recover. And what if Camille did not feel the same as him; could he bear to risk his heart again? The sea continued to lap the shore and Humphrey was suddenly exhausted. Tomorrow was another day; he'd make his decision then.


	3. Chapter 3

The next day started as a slow day in the office. Camille was going through some paperwork and Humphrey was trying not to glance over in her direction too often. He needed something to distract him; and that something appeared in the form of a beautiful, young woman who burst into the office, stared wildly at Fidel, then collapsed on the floor, unconscious.

Fidel jumped up and ran to the woman. "Carla! Carla!" He lifted her head gently and checked to see if she was breathing before turning to the others; "She's fainted."

Dwayne, Camille and Humphrey gathered around the woman, looking at Fidel questioningly.

"I'm assuming you know her?" Humphrey asked him.

"She's my girlfriend. I mean 'was'. My ex girlfriend." Fidel explained.

Carla slowly opened her eyes, when her eyes met Fidel's she gasped and grabbed his shirt. "He's dead!" she whispered, then fainted again.


	4. Chapter 4

A short while later, the team were outside Carla's house; a beautiful but modest villa with a riot of colourful flowers in the front garden. The door was ajar. Camille walked forwards to enter but Humphrey put his arm out to stop her. Camille looked at him; surprised.

"We don't know what's happened; let's be cautious." Humphrey advised.

They slowly approached and gently pushed the door fully open. An old man lay on the tiled floor of the hallway, covered in blood; dead.

Humphrey and Camille looked around; there was no sign of a forced entry, nothing seemed to be disturbed. The dead man was still wearing his expensive gold watch and a priceless painting still hung on the wall; now splattered with blood.

"What do you know about this man, Fidel?" Humphrey asked.

"Not much. He's Carla's husband." Fidel answered.

Camille raised her eyebrows at the obviously huge difference in age between the couple. "Was he married before?" She asked.

Fidel sighed. "More than once. And there are four grown up daughters; all of them old enough to be Carla's mother. There's no love lost there."

Humphrey took a last glance round. "There's nothing more we can do here. We need to speak to Carla."


	5. Chapter 5

That evening the team finished late, having interviewed Carla, her dead husband Franco's four daughters, and even their mothers, Franco's three ex wives.

They were all exhausted but would have carried on through the night; however, Humphrey knew it was time to stop. They all went down to Catherine's and ordered beers while they waited for their dinner. Camille went to help her mother and Dwayne spotted some friends by the bar and went over to say hello. Fidel and Humphrey were left at the table alone.

Fidel turned to Humphrey. "I know there was a big age gap, but Carla loved Franco, more than anything. Far more than she ever loved me," he said.

Humphrey sighed. "Although, as things stand, she still had the most to gain. You saw the will."

Fidel was earnest. "She didn't do it. And I'm worried about her; what if she does something stupid?"

Humphrey saw how concerned Fidel was and assured him that Carla was being taken good care of.

Fidel watched Camille for a few moments then looked Humphrey straight in the eye. "Just shows you though. Life is precious and time is short. You should tell her."

Humphrey didn't answer, but he knew Fidel was right. Before he had time to dwell too long on this, Camille was back at the table, bringing plates and cutlery. She smiled as she approached, but seeing the serious expressions on both Fidel and Humphrey's faces she frowned, uneasy for a moment. Humphrey noticed this straight away and instantly smiled to reassure Camille, helping her to set out the plates just as Catherine approached with a delicious home-made stew.


	6. Chapter 6

Humphrey Takes Stock Chapter 6

Later that night, Humphrey was restless. He tried to read a book but couldn't concentrate, and after losing his place on the same page for the fifteenth time, he gave it up.

He knew that he should be thinking about the case; going over the suspects in his head, working out who had motives... But he wasn't interested in the slightest and this worried Humphrey more than anything. Always, no matter what was happening in his own life, he'd been able to shut it out and get on with the work in hand. What was going on?

Humphrey needed to concentrate, he decided to go into work and immerse himself in the case. He made his way back to the office, determined to get through this thing, whatever it was.

Humphrey made himself coffee then spread out all the paperwork and started to make notes in marker pen on the whiteboard.

After three hours of solid work, Humphrey was beginning to make headway; but something wasn't right, something was missing. He was sure, that with that final piece, the answer would be there, hidden in the details.

He was exhausted. He lay on the floor, propped up on his elbows, staring up at the whiteboard; but his eyes wouldn't stay open and he collapsed backwards into a deep sleep.


	7. Chapter 7

Humphrey awoke to find Camille standing over him, looking very concerned. He tried to scramble up but Camille instantly crouched down next to him and urged him to stay where he was.

"Don't move, sir, you may have a concussion." She warned him.

"Oh no, Camille, I'm fine, really; I, err… Well, I was working and I must have fallen asleep." Humphrey told her.

"Perhaps you should go home and get some proper rest for a few hours? We can easily manage here." Camille suggested.

"No, no. I'm perfectly rested, thank you. I just need some coffee and bite to eat and I'll be back on the case in no time." Humphrey got up quickly and moved away to get the coffee before Camille could protest again.

Humphrey went to the kitchenette and smiled as he poured himself a cup of coffee; Camille's concern for him gave him a warm feeling inside and he was reminded again how much she meant to him. He put some bread in the toaster and hummed quietly as he waited for it to cook.

Back in the office, Camille was agitated; she felt that she wasn't supporting Humphrey enough, that she had failed somehow, causing him to work all hours of the day and night to make up for her ineptness. Suddenly she was aware of an intense burning smell and ran to the kitchen to find the toaster billowing out black smoke, and Humphrey, completely unaware, gazing out of the window.


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

"Sir! The toaster!" shouted Camille, rushing towards Humphrey and unplugging the toaster at the wall.

Humphrey looked at the charred toast; "That won't do, no, that won't do at all. Come on, we'll get breakfast on the way."

"On the way? Where are we going? Sir?" Camille asked in vain, but Humphrey was already striding out of the office; a thought had struck him and he needed to get proof.

Five minutes later, Humphrey and Camille were driving across town. Humphrey's stomach gave a loud, cavernous prolonged growl, but he didn't notice. Camille couldn't help smiling at her boss and pulled over at a patisserie to buy Humphrey a couple of croissants and a coffee.

"Ah, thank you Camille, very kind, yes, just what the doctor ordered." Humphrey ate hungrily and drank his coffee, spilling some of it down his front. Camille resisted the urge to pat him dry and simply rolled her eyes, but hid this from Humphrey.

A few minutes later, they arrived at the offices of the late Franco's solicitor. Camille pulled up outside and they got out. "So; we're here. Are you going to go over the will again" she asked.

"Not the will, no; something else entirely, Camille." Humphrey steered her through the door and then, realising that he had croissant crumbs all over his clothes, he quickly darted back outside to dust himself down before rejoining Camille.


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

"Good morning!" Humphrey smiled warmly at the secretary and took a seat opposite her at her desk. "Is Mr Duval available?"

"Sorry, sir, he has been called away most urgently to attend a sensitive matter on the other side of the island. Can I help you?" The secretary asked, simpering a little at Humphrey's encouraging smile.

"I'm sure you can," Humphrey said, "In fact, it's just a few things that Mr Duval already showed to us; relating to the recent death of.."

"Oh yes, sir, I know all about it; Mr Duval asked me to keep all the documents together as he said he might be needing them again. I'll get them for you."

"Fantastic; but could I possibly trouble you for a copy of all the documents? Just to save me from bothering you again in the future." Humphrey gave her the full benefit of his warm, friendly smile, once more.

"Of course, sir, it won't take a moment; do help yourself to coffee." And she went into the next room to retrieve the files.

Fifteen minutes, Humphrey and Camille left the office with a full set of all the solicitors documents and papers relating to the late Franco. Humphrey started to read them as soon as they were on their way back to the office, working through them methodically, in complete silence. Camille glanced at him occasionally, but she did not once attempt to distract him. Camille knew that Humphrey was on the verge of a breakthrough in the case and she could not help but admire the way his brain worked, spotting things that no-one else even thought important, putting the pieces together, revealing the truth and seeing that justice was done.

As they arrived back, Camille gently touched Humphrey's arm to let him know and he looked up from the papers and smiled at her, his eyes shining. Camille smiled back. Their gaze continued for a few moments, just slightly too long. Both were suddenly awkward and, in his confusion, Humphrey knocked all the papers to the floor.

"Oh, sorry, Camille, my fault. Clumsy." Humphrey stuttered.

"No, no, let me help." Camille reached down and quickly collected the documents, replacing them into Humphrey's folder.

"Ah, yes, thank you Camille. Good. Shall we?" Humphrey got out and strode back into the office. Camille watched him, feeling a little confused, then shrugged and followed Humphrey in.


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

"Fidel?" Humphrey called out as he entered the office.

"Here boss." Fidel got up from his desk.

"Ah, good, very good. Fidel, I need to ask you some questions; it's very important that you tell me only the facts as you know them personally, and nothing that you've been told by a third party. Now; how much do you know about Carla's life since you and she departed company and how she became involved with Franco?" Humphrey watched Fidel closely, waiting for his answer.

"Well... Carla and I split up three years ago. She saw a few other guys after that and then she met Franco the following Spring. She got a job, working for him as his secretary." Fidel recounted.

"Good. And you know this for certain?" Humphrey took a serviette out of his pocket and started jotting notes in biro.

"Yes, Carla and I used to bump into each other occasionally, we parted as friends and when we saw we would tell each other what we were doing," said Fidel.

"So she started working for Franco; so how did she end up becoming his wife?" Humphrey asked.

"Carla told me that she'd never felt that way about anyone; she knew that she wanted to be with Franco from the moment they met. Then the next time I saw her, she told me they'd got married; just a small, simple ceremony. I was shocked, of course; I'd hoped her feelings might change. But she was so happy, I understood this was what she wanted and I had to respect that. I didn't see her after that; not until this." Fidel sat down, sadly.

"And I have to ask this Fidel; has anyone else spoken to you, directly or indirectly, about Carla or Franco? Particularly in recent months?" Humphrey asked gently.

"Yes. How did you know?" Fidel asked. Humphrey didn't respond, but waited for Fidel to elaborate.

"Teresa. I didn't know she was Franco's ex wife; she was just a friend of my mother's. To be honest, a new friend, they'd met at bridge. Teresa told us that her ex husband had married a money grabbing young girl who she was sure was trying to kill him. She said that she and her ex husband were still good friends because they had a daughter who they both loved very much, and she asked my advice, knowing that I worked for the police. I did look into it. That was then I discovered that she was talking about Carla and Franco. I tried to reassure Teresa but she became tearful and said that I had been taken in by Carla and that she would be proven right in the end." Fidel looked at his colleagues desperately. "I know I should have told you all this before; but it seemed... well, it just seemed so unconnected. I knew Carla loved Franco, I knew she could never hurt him."

Camille walked up to Fidel and hugged him. Humphrey watched her for a moment and then sat down at his desk with the file of papers from the solicitor's office and proceeded to go through them once more.


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

Two hours later and Humphrey was still feverishly going through the papers. The other kept glancing at him, Camille most of all.

Suddenly, Humphrey slammed the folder shut and stood up; he stretched, yawned and gulped down a cold cup of coffee.

"Gather all the wives, Camille, and the solicitor." Humphrey instructed. "Time to catch our killer."

As soon as they all were gathered, Humphrey went round the group, one by one and then produced the vital document that would seal the killer's fate; the will.

"In his will, Franco leaves legacies to all of his daughters and the remainder of his fortune goes to his wife. But... which wife?" Humphrey waved the paper around as the others all gasped. "You might well gasp; it's actually quite unbelievable, especially as, by all accounts, Franco was exceptionally diligent about his financial affairs. However, this will is dated 6th September and Franco married Carla on 14th October the same year. She wasn't his wife when it was written; so who was?"

Teresa looked up defiantly; "Me."


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12**

"What is this?" Simone, Franco's first wife, demanded angrily. "It is not the truth, it can't be; Franco and Teresa were divorced years and years ago!"

"Why don't you explain to everyone?" Humphrey suggested to Teresa.

"Fine. We just never got round to completing the papers, that's all. At least, not until he decided he wanted to marry Carla and realised that he couldn't because he and I were still officially married." Teresa shrugged. "So what? It doesn't mean anything, does it."

"Actually, it does." Humphrey told her. "Because it means you have every right to contest the will; because it appears from what is written that Franco intended you to have his money. Yet he was about to marry Carla and couldn't possibly have been thinking of you in that way; so how could this have happened?"

"It's all very convenient Teresa, isn't it?" Marina, Franco's second wife, sneered. "Especially since you're about to be declared bankrupt."

"You can say what you like, Marina, but I knew nothing about this. Franco did, though, so perhaps he intended this to happen? He was getting on in years, his health was not always good, and perhaps he did not trust young Carla as implicitly as we thought he did." Teresa glared at Carla who looked as if she was about to faint.

"How dare you!" shouted Fidel, "Take it back!"

"Fidel, please." Humphrey was quiet, but firm. Fidel desisted and Humphrey continued. "Of course, there was one person who knew everything, one person who was there to advise and help Franco, but the advice given was at best poor, and at worst, downright malicious. Care to explain yourself?" Humphrey turned to the solicitor.

"What?" Teresa now looked shocked as she addressed the solicitor. "Tell me this isn't true, Michael; you wouldn't!"

"You knew exactly what you were doing; in fact, you planned it down to the very last detail." Humphrey accused him. "You and Teresa had been in a relationship for many years, you knew she was still married to Franco and you arranged events in the precise order so that the will could be used to Teresa's, or indeed to your benefit. Because shortly after Franco divorced Teresa, you married her yourself; and though the two of you are not together any more, you have never divorced either. So after getting rid of Franco and ensuring that the money would go to Teresa, I guess you planned to dispose of her too?"

"You can't prove that!" Michael, the solicitor jeered.


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13**

"Actually I can." Humphrey corrected him. "You see, you're not very good at covering your tracks, and there were several telling fingerprints at the scene of the crime. But we would never have thought of looking in your direction, and your fingerprints were, naturally, not on police files. But they were, of course, all over your office. And while you were out and your secretary was indisposed, I got samples." Humphrey concluded.

Camille put the handcuffs on Michael and Fidel lead him away. Another crime solved.

That night, at Catherine's, the team relaxed with a good meal and plenty of cold beers. Then, when it was getting late, Fidel and Dwayne said goodnight and left, leaving Humphrey and Camille alone.

They sat together in silence for a long time, each lost in thought and comfortable in each other's company. Humphrey was battling with himself; he knew that he needed to tell Camille how he felt, and tell her soon, if he was to stand any chance of progressing their relationship. And he really wanted that; more than anything. But he was still wary of getting hurt again; and he had no idea how Camille would react. Could he bear to lose her friendship if she didn't feel the same and he ruined things by making her uncomfortable around him? Humphrey weighed up the situation as he would a crime, and, the conclusion reached, he knew what he had to do.

"Camille?" Humphrey almost whispered.

"Sir?" Camille was a little startled, she had been miles away.

Suddenly Humphrey wasn't sure. She had called him Sir. He was her boss; would she ever feel comfortable calling him by his name?

"What is it?" Camille asked, gently and with such warmth that Humphrey couldn't not say it.

Humphrey looked into Camille's beautiful eyes, "I love you Camille."

Camille could hardly breathe, but she forced herself to answer Humphrey's declaration. "Me too."

It was such a tense moment and they were both in such unchartered territory; neither of them knowing what to say next. Then Camille smiled her radiant, infectious smile; which made Humphrey grin from ear to ear. He stroked her cheek and then gently, but firmly, kissed her, just for a moment, then pulled away to make sure he wasn't overstepping the mark. Camille felt fireworks going off inside her and pulled Humphrey back towards her, kissing him passionately.

The next morning, as they both drank coffee at Humphrey's beach house, Humphrey asked Camille to be his wife and she said yes immediately, with no hesitation. This was right; this was meant to be...

THE END


End file.
